Monthly archives for July, 2008

On June 7th and 8th, 2008, the Alcor board and management held a 2-day strategic planning meeting at the Alcor facility in Scottsdale, Arizona. At that meeting a funding offer brought forward by board member Saul Kent was accepted by the Alcor Board after considerable discussion.

The funding offer was made by three donors: the Life Extension Foundation, the Miller family, and Edward and Vivian Thorp, who will each contribute $150,000 a year to Alcor for three years, totaling $1,350,000. The funding provides for searches and three years of salary support for a CEO and a Transport Coordinator, who will be responsible for the early stages of the cryopreservation of Alcor patients. The funding will also pay to improve readiness for cases at Alcor and provide a 10% raise in salary for three years for the entire Alcor staff.

The position announcements for the CEO and Transport Coordinator positions are shown below. Information about how to apply for these positions is included. Those who wish to apply can do so immediately.

The Alcor Life Extension Foundation (Alcor) invites applications for the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Alcor is a non-profit, tax-exempt membership organization in Scottsdale, Arizona, that is the world leader in cryonics, cryonics research, and cryonics technology. The Alcor CEO will be in charge of all operations including the management of Alcor’s staff, which currently consists of 10 people in Scottsdale and consultants in other areas. This includes management of administrative activities, research and development projects, cryopreservation cases, and long-term patient care operations. The position will likely require periodic travel.

Qualifications for the CEO Position
It is preferred that candidates for the CEO position have the following qualifications:

1. Experience in successfully managing small or medium-sized companies that offer scientific and/or medical products and services. CEO candidates should possess an effective management approach that is consistent with Alcor’s mission statement and includes strategic planning, the development of a structured organizational system, setting and enforcing project deadlines, and effective tactics for conflict resolution. Those who only have experience in managing companies that do not offer technical products and services can also apply if they have a strong interest in and commitment to cryonics;

2. A good working knowledge of cryonics, cryonics practice, and the scientific evidence in support of cryonics. This includes some knowledge of the equipment, medications, and supplies used in the practice of cryonics, such as the portable ice bath (PIB), the air transportable perfusion system (ATP), anti-ischemia medications, portable cardiac compression devices, vitrification circuits, and the cryogenic dewars used to care for cryopreserved patients. Extensive knowledge of cryonics and cryonics practice is not a mandatory qualification for the position, however it is critically important that CEO candidates be strongly committed to the long-term care of Alcor patients who have been cryopreserved and the ongoing improvement of the methods by which new Alcor patients are cryopreserved;

3. The ability to work well and manage others well under ordinary circumstances and under pressure. Alcor performs cryopreservations about 2-8 times a year. These can involve rapid decisions with health, emotional, financial, organizational, and legal ramifications, especially when the patient and family have not made prior arrangements for the patient to be cryopreserved and are seeking to do so under considerable time pressure. The CEO will need to interact diplomatically with and educate patients, relatives, medical personnel, hospital administrators, and government officials. The CEO will need to know the legal basis for cryonics and be able to explain both the promise and limitations of cryonics in a credible manner. The CEO will need to have a commanding presence during emergencies and when coping with the everyday pressures of running the organization;

4. The ability to work well with the Alcor Board of Directors, which will be overseeing the CEO’s performance and the progress of the organization as a whole, and to work well with the other members of the Alcor management team;

5. Strong communication skills to help facilitate a positive public perception of Alcor and cryonics and to help increase Alcor’s rate of membership growth. This includes the ability and willingness to speak effectively in public, be interviewed by the media, offer tours of the Alcor facility to the public, and write articles for Alcor’s publications;

Salary and Benefits
The salary for the CEO position will be $125,000 per year plus health insurance,
paid sick leave, paid vacation time, and other benefits as specified in Alcor’s policies or otherwise negotiated. Alcor will pay all the costs of relocation for any successful candidate
who doesn’t already reside in the Scottsdale area.

Applying for the CEO Position
In order to apply for the CEO position, please send a resume and a cover letter describing your interest in and qualifications for the CEO position to Jennifer Chapman at the following email address: Jennifer@alcor.org or, if by mail, to Jennifer Chapman, Chief Operating Officer, Alcor Life Extension Foundation, 7895 East Acoma Drive, Suite 110, Scottsdale, Arizona 85260.

Cryonics
The cryopreservation of patients for possible future revival is known as cryonics. It is based upon the fact that cells, tissues, organs, and entire organisms maintained at very low (cryogenic) temperatures will not suffer any significant further damage for centuries; and the premises that advances in cryobiology make it possible today to preserve the brains of patients well enough to enable future scientists to restore individual identity; and that future advances in fields such as gerontology, genetic engineering, regenerative medicine, and nanotechnology may someday make it possible to restore cryopreserved patients to life, health, and youthful vigor.

The practice of cryonics is controversial because today’s methods of cryopreservation cannot be reversed by today’s technology and because today’s laws require that patients be cryopreserved after they are legally “dead.” As a result, Alcor has to deal with and counter skepticism at times. The CEO should have the knowledge and presence to deal effectively with negative attitudes towards Alcor and the practice of cryonics.

For more information about Alcor and cryonics please see our website at http://www.alcor.org
_________________________Transport Coordinator
The Alcor Life Extension Foundation currently has an immediate opening for a Transport Coordinator at our Scottsdale, Arizona, facility. The Transport Coordinator is responsible for the stabilization and transport phases of cryonics. Cryonics is the experimental practice of using ultra-cold temperatures to preserve human life in a state that may be recoverable by future medicine. For four decades Alcor has developed and implemented innovative techniques in the field of human cryopreservation. These techniques involve a combination of experimental interventions and conventional medical skills.

At Alcor, we believe that intelligence, memories, and personality are determined primarily by the structure and chemistry of the human brain. Our aim is to preserve the brain and the unique identity within it so well that advanced future technology can restore the individual to health. The stabilization and transport phases of cryonics ideally consist of rapid cooling, administration of medications, and cardiopulmonary support to protect the brain following cardiac arrest prior to transport to Alcor. For more information about cryonics and Alcor please see our website at http://www.alcor.org.

Job Description:
The Transport Coordinator will be responsible for the postmortem stabilization and transport of Alcor patients to Alcor’s cryopreservation facility in Scottsdale Arizona. The Transport Coordinator will work with the Readiness Coordinator on the maintenance of Alcor’s existing patient stabilization and transport processes, ensuring that equipment is properly maintained for emergency deployment, field personnel are adequately trained, and that the highest quality of care is delivered to our patients. The Transport Coordinator will ensure that appropriate data is collected during stabilization and transport, and write detailed timely case reports. Once suitably experienced in our procedures, the Transport Coordinator will be responsible for improving our existing training regimen, updating documentation, extending regular training sessions for regional groups within the United States and overseas, and supervising the certification process for our technicians. The Transport Coordinator will work with personnel at Alcor and with external physicians, scientists and consultants to ensure that procedures reflect the best available medical and scientific knowledge. The Transport Coordinator will also perform the following specific tasks:

2. The Transport Coordinator will then supervise the transport of the patient to our facility in Scottsdale, Arizona, and possibly continue participation in the case in the operating room.

3. The Transport Coordinator will be responsible for the timely preparation of detailed technical reports on the care provided to each patient, once each transport is concluded.

This position requires out of town travel approximately 6 to 8 weeks per year. The Transport Coordinator is to be on call on a 24-hour basis for emergencies that may occur up to ten times per year. Otherwise, normal business working hours are required.

The person we are looking for will be self-motivating, and creative, but stable and reliable in challenging situations. Our Transport Coordinator must have good people skills to interact successfully with our member’s families and hospital personnel. Most of all, the individual must share our vision that cryonics patients require the same conscientious dedication to patient welfare as conventional medicine, even though cryonics procedures are still experimental.
This is an exciting opportunity to participate at the edges of current knowledge and feasibility, in the hope that cryopreservation of human beings will enable future resuscitation by radically advanced medicine. You will be part of one of the most difficult and ambitious scientific endeavors ever pursued.

Job Qualifications

* Paramedic, CCP, RN, NP, PA, or MD.
* Equivalent experience in a health field will be considered.
* A minimum of five (5) years experience is preferred.
* Experience in an emergency room or critical care setting is highly desirable.
* Experience in cryonics is desirable but not essential.
* Experience in tissue recovery is a plus.
* Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, are required.

Alcor offers a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package. Employees must reside in the greater Phoenix area, or be willing to relocate to Phoenix. We will pay relocation expenses. Qualified applicants should email their resume, salary requirements, and a cover letter describing their interest and attitude toward cryonics to Tanya Jones (tanya@alcor.org).

Membership:
Alcor has 865 members on its Emergency Responsibility List. Ten memberships were approved during this month, no memberships were reinstated, three memberships were cancelled and one member was cryopreserved. Overall, there was a net gain of six members this month.

Current membership demographics are as follows:
Males – 667 Females – 198
Members signed for Neurosuspension – 405
Members signed for Whole Body – 400
Members signed for OO or N/WB – 60

We currently have approximately 38 families (variation of parents and siblings) and 30 married couples

Applicants:
Alcor has 66 applicants for membership.

Information Packets:
Alcor received 274 information packet requests, 8 were handed out during facility tours or from special requests. The average total of 252 info packs sent per month in 2008 as compared to 129 in 2007.

Research and Development
Our preparation of the new whole-body vitrification system is nearing the alpha testing phase. The patient enclosure has been tested periodically to ensure our design refinements are performing as expected. Changes include altering the configuration and flow of the nitrogen injectors, adding additional insulation, increasing the size of the plenum, and constructing a mounting platform for the circulating fans.

Readiness
Regina Pancake, Readiness Coordinator, attended the training session held by Cryonics Institute and one of our own in southern California. The focus of the southern California training was a review of changes we have been making to the medications kit. We have settled on a new design that pre-packages everything needed to prepare the medications for administration, and this design was well-received by the southern California team. It is simpler and clearer for the team members, and the few modifications suggested by the team are being implemented.

As part of the recovery process, we have been building new medication kits for the regions. We will soon be replacing all of the med kits in the regions with fresh medications and with the new packaging.